


The Pact Of Our Youth

by HolyHellHamilton



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Harry Potter Gets the Love He Deserves, Hedric, M/M, Multi, cedric diggory says fuck, cedric fred and george bromance, cedric has adhd, i promise i’m not writing this on crack, major character death but only shortly, no i’m not self projecting what, ootp but make it gay, slowburnish, you might just think i am though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:02:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28488762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyHellHamilton/pseuds/HolyHellHamilton
Summary: Our story starts where Cedric and Harry’s is supposed to end, but odds proved it wrong. With new allies, new threats, and new feelings, The Boys Who Lived find sanctuary in each other.Their love went against the universe: for it was tragic, unfortunate, beautiful, and against all odds.Or, Cedric lives and he and Harry become gay, the way it should have gone if the author wasn’t a prickhead. It’s also angsty as hell, but there are cute scenes to restore the hearts of readers and myself.Updates are on Saturdays
Relationships: Cedric Diggory & Fred Weasley & George Weasley, Cedric Diggory & Hermione Granger, Cedric Diggory/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sirius Black & Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, hedric - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 77





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hey hun!  
> my wonderful friend did the honor of writing the prologue for me. he’s amazing and go love him (this is a threat)  
> we also have a spotify playlist for the fic: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ukXkq9i2RNLKp42mJHnZk?si=O3vzH3c9QAynYijWUSy6EQ and feel free to recommend songs for it!
> 
> and please please please remember to give me feedback! tell me what you liked and what you didn’t, i really appreciate it! 
> 
> tumblr: @ren.in.ven.tion  
> author of the prologue: breadsticksarepog

Harry had been hurrying along a new path within the scattered maze for a few minutes, when he heard something in the path running parallel to his own that made him stop dead.

“What are you doing?” yelled Cedric’s distant voice. “What the hell d’you think you’re doing?”

And then Harry heard Victor Krum’s voice.

“Crucio!”

The air was suddenly full of yells. Horrified, he began sprinting up his path, trying to find a way to Cedric. When no one appeared, he attempted the Reductor Curse on a bush wall. Not very effective, but it burned a small hole in the hedge. Harry forced his leg, kicking at the thick brambles and branches until they broke and made an opening; he struggled through it, tearing his robes, and looking to his right. That was when the boy saw Cedric twitching on the ground, Krum standing over him.

Harry pulled himself up and pointed his wand at Krum just as he looked up. He turned and began to run.

“Stupefy!” Harry yelled.

A trail of fiery red light hit Krum in the back; he stopped dead in his tracks, fell forward, and lay motionless, facedown in the grass. He dashed over to Cedric, who had stopped twitching and was lying there, panting, hands over his face.

“Are you all right?” Harry said roughly, taking the other’s arm.

“Yeah,” panted Cedric. “Yeah... I don’t believe it... he crept up behind me... I heard him, I turned around, and he had his wand on me...”

He got up, still shaking. They then looked down at the currently unconscious Krum.

“I can’t believe this... I thought he was all right,” Harry mumbled, still staring with bewilderment.

“So did I,” said Cedric. “Should we leave him here?”

“No. I reckon we should send up red sparks. Someone’ll come and collect him, otherwise he’ll probably be eaten by a skrewt.”

“He’d deserve it,” he muttered, but nevertheless, he lifted his wand and shot a shower of red sparks into the air. The projection hovered high above Krum, marking the spot where he lied.

Both boys stood there in the darkness for a moment. Then Cedric said, “Well... I s’pose we’d better go on.”  
“What? Oh, yeah. Right…”

It was an unusual moment. He and Cedric had been briefly united against Krum — the fact that they were opponents only just dawned on him, at that moment. The pair proceeded up the dark path, not a word uttered, before Harry turned left, and Cedric right. Cedric’s footsteps soon died away.

Harry moved on, continuing to use the Maping Spell, making sure he was moving in the right direction. It was between him and Cedric now. His desire to reach the cup first was now burning stronger than ever, but he could hardly believe what he’d just seen Krum do. The use of an Unforgivable Curse on a fellow human being meant a life term in Azkaban, that was what Moody had told them. Krum surely couldn’t have wanted the Triwizard Cup that badly. . . . he sped up.

Every so often he hit dead ends, but the increasing darkness made him feel sure he was getting near the heart of the maze.

He had to be close now, he had to be. . . . His wand was telling him he was bang on course; as long as he didn’t meet anything too horrible, he might have a chance. . . .

Harry broke into a run. He had a choice of paths up ahead. “Point Me!” he whispered again to his wand, and it spun around and pointed him to the right-hand one. He dashed up this one and saw light ahead.

The Triwizard Cup was gleaming on a stand in the distance, evident within the tenebrosity. Suddenly a dark figure hurtled out onto the path in front of him.

Cedric was going to get there first. Cedric was sprinting as fast as he could toward the cup, and he knew he would never catch up, for the other was much taller, had much longer legs — Then Harry saw something immense over a hedge to his left, moving quickly along a path that intersected with his own; it was moving so fast Cedric was about to run into it, his eyes on the cup—

“Cedric!” he bellowed. “On your left!”

Cedric looked around just in time to hurl himself past the thing and avoid colliding with it, but in his haste, he tripped. Harry saw his wand fly out of his hand as a gigantic spider stepped into the path and began to bear down upon Cedric.

“Stupefy!” Harry yelled; the spell hit the spider’s large, hairy black body, but for all the good it did, he might as well have thrown a stone at it; the spider jerked, scuttled around, and ran at Harry instead.

“Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy!”

But it was no use — the spider was either so large, or so magical, that the spells were doing no more than aggravating it. Harry had one terrifying glimpse of eight shining black eyes and razor-sharp pincers before it was upon him.

He was lifted into the air in its front legs; struggling madly, he tried to kick it; his leg connected with the pincers and next moment he was in excruciating pain. He could hear Cedric yelling “Stupefy!” too, but his spell had no more effect — he raised his wand as the spider opened its pincers once more and shouted “Expelliarmus!”

It worked — the Disarming Spell made the spider drop him, but that meant that Harry fell twelve feet onto his already injured leg, which crumpled beneath him. Without pausing to think, he aimed high at the spider’s underbelly, as he had done with the skrewt, and shouted “Stupefy!” just as the other yelled the same thing.

The two spells combined did what one alone had not: The spider keeled over sideways, flattening a nearby hedge, and strewing the path with a tangle of hairy legs.

“Harry!” he heard Cedric shouting. “You all right? Did it fall on you?”

“No,” he called back, panting. He looked down at his leg. It was bleeding freely. He could see some sort of thick, gluey secretion from the spider’s pincers on his torn robes. He tried to get up, but his leg was shaking badly and did not want to support his weight. He leaned against the hedge, gasping for breath, and looked around.

Cedric was standing feet from the Triwizard Cup, which was gleaming behind him.

“Take it, then,” Harry panted to Cedric. “Go on, take it. You’re there.”

But Cedric didn’t move. He merely stood there, looking at Harry. Then he turned to stare at the cup. Harry saw the longing expression on his face in its golden light. Cedric looked around at Harry again, who was now holding onto the hedge to support himself. Cedric took a deep breath.

“You take it. You should win. That’s twice you’ve saved my neck in here.”

“That’s not how it’s supposed to work,” Harry said. He felt angry; his leg was very painful, he was aching all over from trying to throw off the spider, and after all his efforts, Cedric had beaten him to it, just as he’d beaten Harry to ask Cho to the ball. “The one who reaches the cup first gets the points. That’s you. I’m telling you, I’m not going to win any races on this leg.”

Cedric took a few paces nearer to the Stunned spider, away from the cup, shaking his head.

“No,” he said.

“Stop being noble,” said Harry irritably. “Just take it, then we can get out of here.”

Cedric watched Harry steadying himself, holding tight to the hedge.

“You told me about the dragons,” Cedric said. “I would’ve gone down in the first task if you hadn’t told me what was coming.”

“I had help on that too,” Harry snapped, trying to mop up his bloody leg with his robes. “You helped me with the egg — we’re square.”

“I had help on the egg in the first place,” said Cedric.

“We’re still square,” said Harry, testing his leg gingerly; it shook violently as he put weight on it; he had sprained his ankle when the spider had dropped him.

“You should’ve got more points on the second task,” said Cedric mulishly. “You stayed behind to get all the hostages. I should’ve done that.”

“I was the only one who was thick enough to take that song seriously!” said Harry bitterly. “Just take the cup!” 

“No,” said Cedric.

He stepped over the spider’s tangled legs to join Harry, who stared at him. Cedric was serious. He was walking away from the sort of glory Hufflepuff House hadn’t had in centuries.

“Go on,” Cedric said. He looked as though this was costing him every ounce of resolution he had, but his face was set, his arms were folded, he seemed decided.

Harry looked from Cedric to the cup. For one shining moment, he saw himself emerging from the maze, holding it. He saw himself holding the Triwizard Cup aloft, heard the roar of the crowd, saw Cho’s face shining with admiration, more clearly than he had ever seen it before . . . and then the picture faded, and he found himself staring at Cedric’s shadowy, stubborn face.

“No,” Harry said and reached out his hand to rest on his arm, “Together, you deserve this as much as I do.” 

Cedric considered this for a moment, before uncrossing his arms and taking Harry’s hand. 

“Okay, together.”


	2. The Boy Who Died

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nightmares, depression, tea with the order, and the beautiful birth of a bromance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: some intrusive thoughts  
> also, any missing details from what happened between the prologue and here will be filled in soon
> 
> and feel free to tell me what you liked and what you think i could improve on, i appreciate it!

The Diggory house had been usually loud the past month or so. Ever since Cedric got back, his parents were always talking to him, and always fighting with each other. They didn’t let him be alone much, which was all that he wanted. It wasn’t that he wanted to really be alone, but they were always trying to push him to talk. Cedric couldn’t talk to them about it. He did try once, but that didn’t go well. They didn’t understand how to help, no matter how much they tried. 

When the dreams came, and Cedric woke up screaming, they couldn’t calm him down. They talked in fast and urgent voices, there hands all over him. That only made him panic more. 

He saw the green light every night now.

“Please, please just go! You’re making it worse!” Cedric had sobbed one night. He wanted to take it back as soon as he saw their faces. His mother was crying harder, his father just shook his head and took her hand.

“Let’s go, Beverly, it’s clear he doesn’t want us here.” Amos said quietly. He voice was soft spoken, and utterly broken. He watched them leave, and Cedric had to see his father cry again. He hated being the cause for so much of their pain. He wanted to make them happy again, but he couldn’t even do that for himself. 

Cedric hated that he had to push them away, but they couldn’t help. It was better that they didn’t have to see him like this. They could just start pretending that they didn’t hear him screaming at night. They would be better off.

At this point, it didn’t matter whether or not they could help. Cedric didn’t think he could last much longer like this. He was tired of the nonstop shaking and having to wash his face in cold water to try ash hide his puffy eyes. He was tired of going back to the graveyard in his sleep, a state which should be a break, but it’s just so much worse than being awake. Sometimes he forgets, when he wakes up, that he’s not back there. He forgets, and he can barely survive it. 

He didn’t know how Harry Potter survived it. He has faced so much more, even just on that night, not even mentioning the years before that. Cedric finally understood how he felt, in a way, for he has to face it himself. Harry, The Boy Who Lived, just wanted things to calm down. He didn’t want to be famous simply because he got lucky, Cedric didn’t either. 

The Boy Who Died, he just understood. He didn’t want his name in newspapers. He didn’t want people staring as he walked down the road. He didn’t want the whispers, because he can always hear them. All Cedric did was simply not die, he didn’t even know how he had pulled that off, and now everyone idolized him for it. Well, some people idolized him. 

Cedric believed Harry Potter. He was there, he was the one who died because of it. There wasn’t denying that You-Know-Who had come back and is stronger than ever. Most people where still denying it, but they saw what happened to Cedric that night. He had actually died. He was breathing fine now, but that doesn’t change what happened.

There still wasn’t an explication though. For any of this. There was no explication for why Cedric was breathing, or why people didn’t believe him, or why the dark lord has been silent since that night. It just didn’t make sense, and Cedric hated it.

However, he didn’t have time to think about that. He just had to make it through today. 

“Cedric, there’s people here for you!” Amos Diggory called from the kitchen, his tone unsure or even worried. Cedric looked up from his book (he had started reading more that summer). It was midday, and a rather nice one. Cedric was surrounded by hot, he liked it that way. 

He stood up and placed his book to the side. “Alright?” Cedric replied as he began his dissent to and down the stares. He thought maybe a friend was here, but they would write before if it was. They didn’t surprise him, they weren’t that spontaneous. No, this wasn’t anyone Cedric knew very well. 

“Good afternoon, Cedric.” Alister “Mad Eye” Moody said from his seat at the table, which a few other (mostly) unfamiliar people sat around. He pulled out the seat next to him and patted it, “Take a seat, will you?”

Cedric stared for a moment, but looked at his parents for assurance. Amos nodded, his arms where crossed, he seemed nervous. Cedric walked over and sat down, examining the group. 

There was a women with lavender hair, she looked rather young compared to the rest of the group. Cedric thought maybe he recognized her from school, but she seemed to old for that (Maybe she had been a senior a few years ago?) The women was looking at him, sympathy in her eyes. Cedric has recived a lot of sympathy recently, he hated it. He looked away and back at Moody.

“What’s going on?” Cedric asked shortly. He didn’t care enough to be one hundred perfect polite. He just needed answers.

Moody looked back at the group for a moment, and they nodded. He then put his hand on Cedric’s shoulder, which he jerked away. Moody let him, he didn’t try again.

“Cedric, we came here to take you to headquarters. The Order of The Phoenix, the group that fought Voldemort the first time, had regrouped. You have to come with us.” Moody explained. Cedric could tell it wasn’t a suggestion, but before he could argue his father cut it.

“Absolutely not.” Amos cut in, “You can’t take him from us again.”

“Amos, we don’t have much of a choice. Voldemort will kill him again if he’s unprotected.” Moody responded. Cedric’s insides curled, that was the first time the situation had been mentioned in a few months. 

“We don’t know that.” Mrs. Diggory shot, “Theres nothing he would want with Cedric.” 

“Ma’am, unfortunately that isn’t true.” The lavender women spoke, “He wants revenge on Cedric, we can protect him for when he tries.” She was trying to be polite, but there was so mistake that she was annoyed, Cedric wasn’t sure at what.

“Why would be get revenge? Cedric didn’t do anything wrong!” Amos stepped forward and put his hand on Cedric’s shoulders. Cedric jerked away, but he didn’t let go. He squirmed, but gave up. He just didn’t want to be touched then, but he didn’t have a choice as he doesn’t have a choice with most things. 

Moody shook his head. “Nymphadora.” He whispered to her. The women rolled her eyes at him.

“Don’t call me that.” She whispered to him before returning her attention to the Diggory’s. “Of course he didn’t, at least nothing that was his fault. But he survived, and I guess Voldemort doesn’t like when that happens. The same thing goes with Harry Potter. He wants to finish the people who he wasn’t able to before. We can stop that, if Cedric just comes with up then he’ll be surrounded by powerful wizards-“

Amos didn’t let her finish. “I cant let you just take my son from me. I just barely got him back.”

A new person joined in, but Cedric didn’t look up to see who it was. “I understand, but this way we can assure that he will come back to you when this all is over.”

“There has to be another way, we’ll never see him if he’s away!”

“There are Owls at headquarters.”

“That’s not the same.”

“Stop it.” 

It was Cedric who spoke that time. He was done with people talking like he wasn’t in the room, like he didn’t have anything to offer. 

“I’m not a piece of meat for you to fight over. Whatever this is, it should be my decision, not yours.” He looked to his parents, and they backed down. 

“Its not a decision, son. This is about life or death.” Moody said. 

Cedric thought for a moment. He didn’t know how he felt, or what to do. He just didn’t want to die, that was for certain. 

“What’s it like?”

“Pardon?”

“What’s it like at headquarters?”

“Ah. Well, it’s a little crowded. The Weasleys live there, all of them, Hermione Granger alongside them. As well as the Order members: which is all of us and a few others. And then Harry Potter is to arrive shortly. It’s not a bad place, though. We have three home cooked meals everyday, and the group is rather nice.” Moody told him. 

“And it’s safe,” the women said, “safer then anywhere else right now.”

“If Potter is there, I find that unlikely.” Amos commented. 

“It’s a secret location, no one outside knows where we are.” The lavender women assured them.

Cedric didn’t know if he believed this, but he also didn’t know if he cared. He just wanted to get out of here, he didn’t think he could handle it much longer. He didn’t want to leave his parents, but they would be safer this away. Maybe even happier. 

“Okay, I’ll go.”

~~~

Headquarters was nothing like how Cedric has imagined, for it was in the city, but not in the open. He watched in amusement as the buildings moved and changed to reveal a thin passageway. 

“Well,” Tonks (the lavender women now had a name) said suddenly, “Shall we?” 

Cedric nodded and followed her through the passageway to a tall door with leaves indented in the wood. It was beautiful, but Cedric didn’t stop to stare. He watched as Tonks knocked on the wood while saying a random word (he suspected it was a password). She pulled the doors open and all of the Order members filed inside, Cedric waited for them to be done. 

Tonks stayed at the open door for him. “Come on then.” She said, and he complied. He walked inside closely behind Tonks as she led him through the doors and down the hall. It was narrow but long, there were staircases leading up to everything. There had to be at least a few floors based off how tall it was. 

“Oh, Cedric, so good to see you!” Molly Weasley said excitedly once he and Tonks had entered the kitchen. She approached him and pulled him into a tight embrace. Cedric didn’t expect to be hugged, and we wasn’t sure of he enjoyed it but he was to in shock to move. The kitchen was empty except for Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger, whom where seated at the table with a card game out. They nodded at him, he nodded back, and Mrs. Weasley let go of him. 

Some kind of stew was brewing at the stove, it smelled rather nice. Cedric realized he was hungry, he hadn’t actually eaten lunch. 

“Now, dinner should be not to far away, but for now I think it would be best if you got settled in.” She said, her hands still on his shoulders. Cedric didn’t mind this time, she was definitely a lot more warm then his parents. She looked over at Tonks, “dear, do you mind showing Cedric to his room while I finish up?”

“Of course,” Tonks replied and tugged at his wrist shortly, “Come on, it’s just up the stairs.” 

Cedric nodded at Mrs. Weasley before following her again. The stairs were smaller then he would have preferred, but he would get used to them. Tonks turned when they reached the top and stopped in front of another doorway. 

She knocked on it, and two voices said “Come in” at about the same time.

“Hope you don’t mind sharing.” Tonks said before opening the door, revealing a decent sized room with three beds, and two Weasley twins seated on the middle of the floor. They looked over at him as if they weren’t expecting him to be there, which was fair. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

Tonks patted his shoulder shortly and started off down the stairs. Cedric walked back in the room, goosebumps rising in his skin.

The twins stood up, “Nice to see ya, Fred Weasley at your service.” One said and extended his hand. Cedric had heard of the infamous Weasley twins before, known for causing trouble. He had seen some of it for with his own eyes, his favorite was when they turned grey to put there names in the Goblet of Fire. 

“Uh, Cedric.” He said before shaking the extended hand.

“And I’m George.” The other said and then shook his hand. Cedric nodded. “Oh, and this one is yours.” He pointed to the bed behind him, “We don’t really have any roommates rules, just be aware that Fred snores.”

“I do not!” Fred shot back.

“Yeah, you do. It’s okay, we’re not shaming you. It’s a perfectly natural thing.” George said as he patted his brother’s head. Fred hit his hand.

“Oh stick it.” Fred replied and slumped onto one of the beds, Cedric was unsure whether or not it was his. 

George rolled his eyes and then sat on the other bed across the room, which actually was fairly close. They both looked at Cedric, and then to his bed, and then back at him. Cedric got the hint and dropped his bag to the floor in front of the frame before sitting down. It was rather comfortable. 

“So,” George leaned his jaw against his fist, “What brings you to Headquarters?” 

“I’m not really sure, I didn’t have much of a choice.” Cedrics crossed his arms on his lap as he spoke. 

Fred scoffed. “I know right? I swear, it was just like one day we woke up and our mother was having us pack up and just leave.” He talked about it like it was a traumatizing experience, maybe it was. 

“Same for me. I cannot explain the feeling when I walked downstairs and Mad Eye Moody himself was having tea with my parents.” Cedric claimed. Fred and George laughed. 

“I can’t even imagine.” Fred chuckled and George made a weird sound as he was agreeing. Cedric laughed and decided that he liked them, he liked them a lot. 

“It’s good that you’re here though.” Fred said in a more sincere tone then before. Cedric wasn’t aware they could be serous, he had definitely never seen it until now. 

“What do you mean? It’s really not, I shouldn’t have to.” Cedric responded, and it was true. He shouldn’t be punished for just living, he didn’t even do it on purpose. 

“No, I know, but you are here. If not you would probably be dead.” 

“I’m not sure if the alternative is a bad thing anymore.”

“I think it’s a bad thing.” George cut in, “The Boy Died didn’t live up to his name, let’s just hope that The Boy Who Lived does.”


	3. The Boy Who Lived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> complaining, reunions, and blushing at inappropriate times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i’m not dead!!!
> 
> things have been very chaotic with my home life but i’m doing better, and i had some time to write. please accept this shorter chapter and the promise that the next one will be longer.
> 
> The Pact Of Our Youth playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ukXkq9i2RNLKp42mJHnZk?si=NdIQqjicRSOJZGMfueE5MQ
> 
> my tumblr (feel free to talk/interact with me on there!): https://hetheylacroix.tumblr.com/ (new username wow)
> 
> have a good day!

“This is insufferable.” Hermione commented, a mind pause between each work to give more intensity to her sentence. She was right, Cedric was rather antsy, the fingers on his left hand waved and curled against each other as they awaiting. They weren’t allowed downstairs at the meeting, that’s was a strict rule they all learned from the beginning. 

So they awaited. Ginny, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, and Cedric all sat in an unclean circle around what is soon to be Ron and Harry’s room. It didn’t really look like a circle, though. Fred and Cedric sat atop one of the beds while George was on the floor between them, leaning against it. Ron sat on the other bed in front of them, and then Ginny and Hermione were in the floor on each other sides. 

“I know, I don’t understand how the hell they just expect us to sit here patiently while they are downstairs deciding the fate of our world!” Ron exclaimed angrily. “I mean, at least some of us are of age, they should let them be there.”

“They know better. They know Fred and George were there they would tell us everything as soon as they got out.” Ginny pointed out as she rocked back and forth, her knees to her chest and her arms around them. 

“That’s true.” Fred grumbled, “but what about Cedric? He would tell us in a subtle way and let us figure out what it means.” Cedric wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. He reckoned that he probably knew about how he tipped off Harry about the second task. 

Ron scoffed, “Cedric wouldn’t tell us. He can’t hurt his reputation like that.” He didn’t even look at him when he said the insult. Cedric wasn’t sure what exactly he did.

“I reckon it’s to late for that, I’ve seen the newspapers.” Cedric replyed, thinking back to all of the The Boy Who Died bullshit. “And I would tell you, you have the right to know.”

“Yeah,” George cut in, “but they won’t let you in. Even if you swore not to tell us, they know we would get it out of you eventually.” He looked rather proud when he said that, Cedric was worried.

“Still, maybe when Harry gets here things will be different. He has to the right to know what’s going on more than anyone.” Ginny said.

“And Cedric.” Hermione added. She opened her mouth to explain why, but she stopped herself. She must have realized that she shouldn’t mention what happened, and quite honestly Cedric didn’t want to think about it. She was right, though. 

The room went silent for a moment. Cedric hated that, he hated the silence. He usually enjoyed the silence, but not here. Not with people that are usually loud and cheerful, unlike his parents. 

Hermione cleared her throat awkwardly. “Anyways,” she said smally and turned to Ron, “Ronald, did you mother mention when Harry is expected to arrive? They’ve been gone for to long.” She was referring to the order members that went to fetch him (it was the same group that went to get Cedric). 

Ron shook his head, “Nothin’, she just said “before dinner” but that doesn’t give us much.” 

Hermione huffed.

Cedric didn’t know how he felt that Harry was to arrive. He hasn’t spoken with him since the last day of school, even then they didn’t say much. It was awkward, really. Both of them weren’t recovered from what happened that night, Cedric had barley wrapped his mind around it. They didn’t want to talk about it, not yet, and Cedric wasn’t sure that Harry would talk to him at all. Cedric rather liked the lad, we was sarcastic, incredibly sassy, but passionate. He was also rather charming in a way. Handsome, definitely, and he got flustered easily (at least in Cedric’s experience, he wasn’t sure if he was always like that.) 

The thing that stood out, though, is that Harry wasn’t very extraordinary. He was wasnt full of himself in the slightest, unlike other famous people Cedric had come across. He just wanted to he normal, and he almost succeeded. Cedric admired him for being able to ignore all of this fame, not letting it get to his head. 

He just decided to try not and think about it for now. As he learned from his eighteen years of life: he can’t fix things by pondering, as much as that sucked.

They continued their conversation, and Cedric realized how anxious Hermione was. He didn’t blame her, he knew how important they were to each other. Especially after all that happened, she must be worried sick. She fiddled with her hands, visibly disturbed. Everyone else seemed to caught up in each other to notice. 

Cedric placed a soft hand on her shoulder, she instantly tensed and jerked her head back in his direction. “Are you okay?” he mouthed. Hermione relaxed a little. She nodded. 

“Thank you.” she mouthed back. Cedric smiled and squeezed her shoulder before crossing his arms across each other once again.

They returned to their pointless chatter. Cedric wasn’t even sure what it was about anymore, but it was better then silence. Cedric just zoned out, starting at nothing.

~~~

Harry stared up as the building opened to reveal the hidden portion, mouth hanging open. It was brilliant, really. He had never seen anything like that happen (he realized that he hadn’t seen a lot, therefore he should become acquainted to that feeling, as he has and will see it more often.)

“There ya go, son.” Mad-Eye Moody said before the group started forward again. They led the boy through the doors and down a narrow hallway. 

He stopped to stare, before Moody coughed and slipped by, the rest of the group following. Harry pressed himself up against the wall as they shuffled forward, Nyphadora Tonks being the last one in the back. She winked at him.

Harry walked forward slowly, as if there were traps in the walls. Maybe there were, it seemed like that kind of place. He’s see this type of thing in movies, and due to most things in the wizarding world: he wouldn’t rule out the possibility completely.

Then he froze when a pair of dark grey eyes stared back at him. Sirius. It was really him. He wasn’t a face in a fireplace anymore, it was Sirius Black in the flesh. He was surrounded by Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin, as well as what Harry guessed where the other order members.

So of course, Molly Weasley closed the door that separated them once again.

“Harry!” Molly said warmly and pulled him into a hug. He hugged back, his chin resting on her shoulder. It was always nice to be hugged, it had also been awhile since he’s had one.

“Mrs. Weasley.” Harry says softly. Molly pulls away, her hands holding both sides of his face gently. She really did seem relived to see him. Everyone was at this point. He felt similar to a bomb in that way, everyone was just waiting for him to go off and die, or whatever.

“Heavens, you’re alright.” She exhaled, “Now, I know you must be hungry, but I’m afraid dinner will have to wait until after the meeting.” Harry opened his mouth to say something but he was cut off. Mrs. Weasley pointed up the stairs, “No time to explain, straight upstairs, first door on the left.”

Harry followed and waved goodbye. He found the door and opened it, taking a moment to examine the room before something came full force at him. He was wrapped in get another hug. 

“Harry!” Hermione exclaimed, pulling back but keeping her hands on his shoulders, “Are you alright?” Harry nods and she keeps talking, “We’ve heard them talking about those Dementor attacks, you must tell us everything.”

“Let him breathe, Hermione.” Ron said.

“And the hearing at the Ministry. I’ve looked it up, they simply can’t expel you. It’s completely unfair!” She continued despite Ron.

Harry walks over to the middle of the room, looking around. “There’s a lot of that going around at the moment.” He said, “So, what is this place?”

“Its headquarters.” Ron replied.

“The Order of The Phoenix.” Hermione explained further, “It’s a secret society, Dumbledore formed it back when they first fought you-know-who.”

Harry sighed, “You couldn’t of put anything of this is a letter, I suppose.”

He watched their face’s fall. 

“I’ve gone all summer without a scrap of news.” 

“We wanted to write you,” Ron said, “really, we did.”

“Then why didn’t you?” 

“Dumbledore made us swear not to tell you anything!” Hermione explained.

There was a moment of silence. 

“...Dumbledore said that?” Harry asked, but they didn’t respond. “Then why keep me in the dark? Maybe I could help. I mean I’m the one who saw Voldemort return, I’m the one who fought him, I’m the one who saw Cedric Diggory get killed!”

“Cedric wasn’t killed.” Ron scoffed.

“Yes he was!” Harry shot back, “He died! His eyes where open!”

“Even if that was true, he’s not dead anymore!” Ron said, stepping forward.

Harry was going to respond when Fred and George Weasley appeared behind him. 

“Harry!” Fred exclaimed.

“Thought we heard your delicate tone.” George jokes.

“Dont bottle it up though, mate.” Fred adds.

“Let it out!” George said as they both sit on the bed.

“If you’re the one shouting at least, we have something more interesting.” 

“Oh come on, boys. The miss will kill you.” Someone laughed. Harry looked over to the doorway where he was leaning on the frame. He wasn’t sure when Cedric had gotten there, he also hadn’t know that he was here at all. He smiled softly at him, “Hi, Harry.”

Harry blushed (not that this was a time to be blushing, by crowley) and opened his mouth to respond but Fred cuts him off, “We aren’t scared of her, and this is important! We should know what’s going on.”

Cedric sighs and sits on the bed to the side of them. “Yeah, but I’m not sure we want to know.”

“That’s bullshit. We’re just as important to the Order as them. Especially now that The Boys Who are here.” George scoffed.

Cedric rolled his eyes. “Crowley, don’t remind me. I’m done with this The Boys Who stuff.”

“The what? What is The Boys Who?” Harry asked.

The room went silent yet again. They all exchanged glances. 

Finally, Hermione spoke. 

“You and Cedric. The Boys Who.” She said.

“Lived and Died, that is.” Cedric added. He grabbed a newspaper out of under the bed and handed it to him, “Here.”

Harry examined the front. “Oh.”

He knew that he was The Boy Who Lived, which made Cedric The Boy Who Died. He didn’t like that. He did die, yes, but he wasn’t dead. After a moment, he handed the paper back to Cedric.

“I’m guessing you want to know what’s going on now, don’t you?” Fred asks.


End file.
